Free Press

As the Wikileaks ordeal continues, a couple of issues come up. One is the free press the US so fervently espouses. Yet it applies only when it is in their interest, such as, exposing and discrediting enemies. But when the press expouses war crimes, deception, lies, murder, extortion, that is considered state secrets or information not privy to the public. The rules of press no longer apply. Simply look at the US government massive witch hunt of Julian Assange with the support of corporate America. However, when the government wants to disparage or undermine someone then they have free reins, remember Valerie Plame. Free press exists insofar only within the boundaries dictated by the corporate elites and the US government. It is not an elastic boundary and ones that trespass it suffer severe consequences. The press is free to report petty crimes, love affairs, divorces, athletes and actors mishap, etc. But critique and exposure of imperial crimes is strictly off limits. It is ironic that the government can freely monitor your email, phone calls, credit card transactions without any just cause but you have no right to inquire about what our tax dollars do abroad. Or how about your tax returns where you detail every cent you have earned over the past year. But inquiry into crimes are always rebuffed or investigated by the elites themselves. It is like a robber. He is always studying your moves and habits but you do not get the chance to study him. To be successful, the robber has to operate in secrecy and plan ahead. Every heard of robber telling the public I am going to rob this bank at 10 am.
Another issue is the US is not a democracy but simply megalomaniac empire run by a corporatocracy. This was demonstrated during the Wall Street bailout. In times of crises, the elite are always rescued. The elite must also be shielded from the public lest they exposed for their true aims, that is, exploitation and domination of others to maximize profit and power. Wikileaks simply provides an opening into this shielded and segregated group of people. The elites need this secrecy to be successful. They start to feel uncomfortable when the truth comes out not because they feel ashamed but because they are afraid that exposure could eventually lead to their downfall and collapse of the empire.
The internet which is a creation by the US and is an easy way to monitor and spy on society can also be a double edged sword. Wikileaks is simply the other end of the sword and the receiving end is starting to feel an ache.

Challenging the Empire

Julian Assange will likely go down in history, no matter what happens to him now, as one of the most brave and insightful people who singlehandedly challenged power and the empire. Unlike the compliant, ignorant, and obsequious mainstream journalists, he has deviated from the "line" and was courageous to expose the lies and crimes of the empire. He is slowly exposing the reaches of the hegemony and its obsession with domination and power. Empires and the elites hate being exposed for they rely on deception and newspeak to manufacture consent. Dissent is never tolerated and the press knows this. The initial counter attack is to smear and discredit you. They will try to fabricate a story about terrorism, communism, child pornography, rapist, drug addict, etc. If that fails, they will apply outside pressure, like financial, spying, and infiltration. If that fails, then they will send in the jackals (assassination), as the author of Confessions of an Economic Hitman states. For the US, he is too well known now to try anything obvious but never doubt the elites when they are desperate.
The empire is slowly decaying, not because of Julian, however. Julian is simply exposing its entrails which the empire knows but wants to keep the public in oblivion and rather occupy them with their ipods, tv sports, idiotic hollywood movies, and consumerism.
This only the beginning for other websites are starting similar projects around the world. If the US succeeds in destroying Wikileaks, I am confident others will simply replace it, for it is human nature to resist oppression and enjoin justice.

What does it mean to be an Ascetic?

In Christianity an ascetic is one who typically isolates himself from the world and has very little engagement with others. Such as, monks who live in monasteries who devote themselves to religious devotion abstain from the material world. They typically sell all their belongings before entering the monastery and live a simple but many times a harsh life.

In Islam one should strive to be an ascetic but its meaning and practice are much different. For a muslim, as we live our life in the material world, we should use the material world only as a means or path to heaven, to do good, promote justice, and forbid evil. Think of yourself as a ship and the water is the dunya (world). You traverse the water with the ship but if you let it seep into the ship, it slows you down. If enough gets in you eventually sink. Likewise if you become engrossed and in love with the dunya, you get distracted from your religion and your preparation for the day of judgement.
Being an ascetic doesn't mean one cannot be rich but your attachment to money and material things is in your hand not in your heart. In other words, you can relinquish it quickly without any thought. Your trust in God exceeds your trust in material things. But if it is your heart, you become attached and addicted to it. Loss of material things then causes great distress. This is the state of many muslims today, unfortunately.

A hadith Nawawi supports this:
On the authority of Abu Al-Abbas Sahl ibn Said Al Saidi may Allah be pleased with him said:

A man came to the Prophe may peace and blessings be upon him and said: O Messenger of Allah, direct to an act which , if I do it, Allah will love me and people love me.
He said: Renounce the world and Allah will love you, and renounce what people possess and people will love you.

Usury

Being Honest and Not Hypocritical

Enlightenment

Are You Enlightened?

Arabs

For the past 2 weeks I have been getting emails regarding the new tower in Dubai. My Arab friends are mesmerized with the new tower, as if we have reached the pinnacle of civilization. They forget that Dubai is essentially bankrupt, that the tower of was built essentially with slave labor, and that Dubai is stands for everything that is opposite of Islam; did we forget the gambling, prostitution, materialism, and racism present there.

Now Talal Ibn Walid in Saudia Arabia wants to build one taller. That will be of great benefit to the muslims without a doubt. Yet while the Gazans living in a concentration camp are slowly dying away, poverty and corruption increase rampantly across the Muslim world, and the Muslim lands continue to be occupied and pillaged, the wealthy try to outdo each other in material wealth and glamor, instead of using their wealth to create jobs, provide better education and alleviate poverty.

The crux of this problem gets back to love of this world and material wealth. Muslims in love of this world will cheat, steal, kill, oppress, imprison, etc to gain wealth or power. As long as this disease exists, the umma will remain diseased.

Narrated Sahl bin Sa'd: I heard Ibn Az-Zubair who was on the pulpit at Mecca, delivering a sermon, saying, "O men! The Prophet used to say, "If the son of Adam were given a valley full of gold, he would love to have a second one; and if he were given the second one, he would love to have a third, for nothing fills the belly of Adam's son except dust. And Allah forgives he who repents to Him." Ubai said, "We considered this as a saying from the Qur'an till the Sura (beginning with) 'The mutual rivalry for piling up of worldly things diverts you..' (102.1) was revealed."